Reason No. 226

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because on the way home, when we were talking about Seth going to the pantomime, Amelie said "when you've been told about a surprise, the best thing is to forget that you know about it, and then when it happens, you will be all excited again!"

I love aesthetics more than I did yesterday because when I picked him up from school and we were walking up to get Amelie, he decided that he was 'an army man' who was chasing baddies so he dashed from place to place hiding in the shadows and being a very good soldier. 

Reason No. 225

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did the day before yesterday because even though I forgot to write this last night and I've forgotten what they did yesterday, I know that they were fantastic and that they were enthusiastic and that they were loving, and that's why I love them!

Reason No. 224

I love Amelie and Seth more than I did yesterday because on the way home from school they had a fantastic discussion with TWBD about days of the week, how many days there are in the month, how many days there are until December and which days.  They got all the answers right so are clearly learning something!

Reason No. 223

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he can now play 3 duets on the piano and there's one march which he really loves playing because he loves the tune and thinks it's "so cool"!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she has been singing all her school nativity songs this evening and seems to know all the words.

Reason No. 222

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was very excited about having her friend Caitlin round for a playdate and showing her the house and particularly the cats which were a great fascination!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was very excited about the school Christmas tree today and insisted that TWBD went back to look at it - and then demanded why we didn't have a Christmas tree yet.

Reason No. 221

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because at breakfast, when we talked about the party he was going to, he said "and I'll have to go in my pirate costume".  And we'd completely forgotten that last time he went to the same place, everyone was in fancy dress and he wasn't.  So he went in his pirate costume and had a lovely time, even though no-one else was in fancy dress!!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she stayed at home with me while Seth went to his party, and she was fantastic doing lovely pictures for her scrapbook and then snuggling up in bed with me watching TV, then carrying on watching TV while I had a bath.

Reason No. 220

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because when we were watching TV in bed, and I had said that she had to swap places with Seth half way through the programme so that he could sit next to me, it was Amelie who pointed out that it was half way through and that it was time to swap.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because when Amelie did that, he leant over and gave her a big kiss on the cheek without any prompting!

Reason No. 219

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because on the way home from school he told TWBD the story of Jonah and the Whale in full - so he clearly listens well at school.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she went with TWBD to the Botanical Gardens cafe after school before picking up Seth and he said they had a hugely grown-up conversation and it was like having tea with an adult.

Reason No. 218

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because at bedtime she was really sweet and said "if you remember when you come up to check on me when I'm asleep, could you bring my yellow teddy. But only if you remember!"

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he brought home a toy that his friend had leant him, was very excited to show it to us, so much so that he said we couldn't look in his school bag and had to do the big reveal!

Reason No. 217

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because we had a lovely time playing the piano this evening - he loves playing duets (where he plays one note and I play the tune!) and is very proud of his ability to play his note in time.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she started using her school 'virtual learning environment' at home tonight and got very excited about logging in and doing some adding games with TWBD.

Reason No. 216

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she got her cowgirl costume today for her Xmas nativity and promptly showed TWBD her cowgirl dance!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he came out of school with crown on like all his classmates - but unlike them, he had his on onside down!  When challenged by TWBD he said "it's because they are all kings but I'm the Prime Minister"!

Reason No. 215

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because his reading continues to improve massively - getting words like "snorts" on sight (even though he has to spell out "on")!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she had some poem reading homework and she acted them out beautifully, including animal noises!

Reason No. 214

I love Amelie and Seth more than I did yesterday because they have been fabulous today - playing with each other, inventing new games and making up recipes with each other, and walking hand-in-hand on our walk today whispering things to each other.  If only it was always like this!

Reason No. 213

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was such a good boy this morning when Amelie and TWBD went to a birthday party and I was painting our bedroom.  He played happily on his own for over 2 hours, only occasionally asked "have you finished yet" and didn't cause very much havoc at all - especially given the potential to do so with wet paintbrushes, tins and walls everywhere!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because at bedtime she said "Mummy I've got something very little to say to you - I love you" so I said "That's not little, that's very big" and she said "It's a very little word but it's a very big feeling".

Reason No. 212

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because when I was drying her hair this evening, I told her that a wild monster with hair all over its face and body had kidnapped Amelie and only when I'd finished drying, had Amelie come back. She was desperate to reassure me "but it was me Mummy, with my hair loan over my face, honestly there was no monster!"

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was so embroiled in his swimming today that he managed to swim into the wall and came home from school with a huge bump on his head!

Reason No. 211

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did yesterday because my little bundles of love bounded into my bed this morning with presents, croissants and kisses to celebrate my birthday - and it eas lovely!

Reason No. 210

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because at bed time she told me that she had had a headache at school because one of the other girls had shouted at her.  When I asked why, she said it was because the other girl had said Amelie was being bossy.  So I said "You know you are a bit bossy some times" and Amelie said "I know I am sometimes Mummy but I really wasn't being this time"!  At least she's self-aware!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was Star Scientist at school - when I asked why he said "What colour is light?" and I said "You tell me" and so he said "No you are supposed to say yellow or white and then I would have said that you were wrong because it's all rainbow colours".

Reason No. 209

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was really good doing his piano practice tonight - he now knows C and D and can tell the difference between them and play them with the correct finger.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she sang her school Christmas songs to TWBD this evening - which was apparently lovely!

Reason No. 208

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because on the way home from school this afternoon she counted in 7s - she's been doing 2s and 5s and 10s for a while but 7s is a new departure!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he moved back into his newly painted room this evening, having helped TWBD to put all stickers back on the walls (in a very Seth-like layout!) and was very appreciative for all TWBD's hard work on putting everything back together today.

Reason No. 207

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did yesterday because they behaved so fantastically during our night away in a hotel, celebrating Grandpa's birthday - although they were very excited about seeing all the family, when they went to bed they behaved really well, we didn't hear a peep out of them all night, and they stayed there until we got them up in the morning.

Reason No. 206

I love Amelie more than I did (the day before) yesterday because we had a great conversation over breakfast about Christmas and she said "Father Christmas only comes when you're asleep.  The tooth fairy only comes when you're asleep.  Do you think that the tooth fairy works for Father Christmas?"

I love Seth more than I did (the day before) yesterday because during the same conversation we warned him that Father Christmas won't necessarily bring him all the things on his Christmas list because he might not be able to get all the things - so Seth said "Where do we normally get Lego from?" and TWBD said "John Lewis and Amazon" so Seth said "I think we should tell Father Christmas that if he can't find any of my presents, he should try John Lewis and Amazon and they'll have them!"

Reason No. 205

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was a little bundle of joy and cuddles when he arrived home from school very excited about school and about it being the weekend.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was also a bundle of joy and cuddles but the first thing she said to me was "Mummy why's your hair red?" which it isn't really, but I had had it dyed!

Reason No. 204

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because her reading was described as 'brilliant' by whoever read with her at school today - which we knew already!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because his reading has been described by me today as 'brilliant' - which I wasn't so certain about before but he has really come on massively in the past couple of weeks so I'm very happy with him.

Reason No. 203

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because at bedtime he said to me "Duncan brought some Lego to school and he sneaked it past his parents so they didn't know" (this relates to an ongoing battle because we've said he can't take Lego to school in case he loses bits). So he said "I would never do that.  But I really want to take some Lego to school please?"  All said with wide eyes and a pleading expression!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she sang her Christmas song to me at bedtime which had verses which started "Christmas is for you and me.....", "Christmas is for boys and girls....." then she got to "Christmas is for rich and ...um..." So I said "poor?" And she said "How did you know that - do you know this sing Mummy?!"

Reason No. 202

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because TWBD went on a school trip today with TWBD and was apparently brilliant - the first to put up her hand to answer questions and one of the girls chosen to present what her group thought to the others, which she did very confidently.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he's showing increasing signs of having a really good musical sense including singing along to the radio and criticising Amelie when she doesn't get tunes right!

Reason No. 201

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was not on his best behaviour this evening after school but after having his tea, he snuggled up on TWBD's lap to watch TV and then said "I'm sorry for not behaving well tonight Daddy" which is better than the alternative!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was so excited about being back at school and was desperate to tell me the whole story of The Hare and the Tortoise (including "the moral of the story Mummy is that you shouldn't fall asleep while you're in a race and also that slow and steady wins the race") and to also show me how to do a straddle roll which she'd learnt in PE.

Reason No. 200

I love Amelie and Seth more than I did yesterday because they survived the week in Wales - despite it being quite wet a lot of the time, very snowy on the way home, and having to sleep in a double bed together, they really did behave pretty well most of the time and are looking forward to returning to school so that they can tell all their friends about it.

Reason No. 199

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did before because they spent the day being complemented by strangers during our trip to Anglesey.  First, an old lady stopped Seth and said that she loved his hat and that he looked like a proper little man!  And then a lady sitting next to us during lunch stopped us as we were leaving and said that the children behaved beautifully and we should be proud of them!

Reason No. 198

I love Amelie more than I did before because she has no fear of heights and is like a mountain goat - together, we climbed up all the towers in Caernarfon Castle - she said it was 13 but I'm not sure as I lost count (as well as being pretty scared most of the time and exhausted by the end!).

I love Seth more than I did before because he was very happy just patrolling the bottom of the towers with TWBD - it doesn't bother him that he is slightly scared of heights and that Amelie is better at these things than he is!

Reason No. 197

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did before because they are both steam train freaks!  They loved the whole business of getting on the Ffestiniog Railway, 'driving' the train from the first carriage, imagining that we were going to go over the cliff side, and even tolerated the pouring rain when we got to Blaenau Ffestiniog at the end.

Reason No. 196

I love Amelie and Seth more than I did before because they were excellent on our pretty long journey to Wales and were very excited to get to Auntie Charlie's house near Harlech and to explore it fully before bedtime.